Tristan Trains As A Therapy Dog

I love to read, and there was a time when my girls showed signs of the same thing.  Recently, though, I can't get them to read anything unless they have to for school.  I am hoping that if I get them some really good books for Christmas, I can ignite that spark in them once again.

Brandi has recently showed a love for dogs, which is weird since up until recently, she has been terrified of them.  I thought that if I could find some inspirational books about dogs I could get her to read them.  I found this book, Tristan Trains as a Therapy Dog: A Tristan and Trudee Story, and I think it is something she will love.  It is the story of Tristan, a fluffy white bichon frise dog, who learn how to become a therapy dog.  Brandi will be able to read along as Tristan learns how to be a good therapy dog, and cheer as he takes his test. It's weird that I found this now, because my therapist is actually training her puppy to be a therapy dog, and Brandi has shown such a interest in that little puppy.

The book is geared towards kids a little younger than her, but I think she will enjoy it nonetheless.

Have You Heard About Straight Talk?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you tired of getting your cell phone bill in the mail only to find extra charges for going over your monthly minutes or for texting a little too much?  My money is precious to me, and every cent I bring into my home goes towards keeping the kids and I afloat.  I can not afford to have surprises every month, which is why I love Straight Talk.

Straight Talk offers pay as you go plans for their phones, and depending on your needs, you can really save money over contract phones.  For instance, I love their $45 unlimited talk, text, and web cards, which is what I buy every month for my phone.  I will admit to being hesitant in the beginning when I was looking for a cell phone, because I didn't know anyone who used Straight Talk personally.  But let me tell you, after the first month, I was sold on them, Hook, line and sinker.  I have never dropped a call, and there aren't many places where I can not get a signal.  I can Call a friend or send a text whenever I want, and not worry about if I am roaming or if it's after 7pm.  I hear that you can even get Android on Straight Talk.  That's pretty awesome.

I think I might need to upgrade my phone soon!

Untitled Jersey City Project

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Untitled Jersey City Project for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Watch this:

It's the second episode in a series of eight episodes titled Untitled Jersey City Project.  I watched it, and quite honestly, I don't have a clue what is going on, which I think might be the point.  The storyline is pretty simple.  A new city is being built on the Jersey Waterfront, and everyone has something to gain.  Or lose.  I guess it just depends on who you are.

I have been known to give even the worst shows the benefit of the doubt, and this one did peak my interest a bit.  I am curious about the bigger storyline, since each mini-episode is part of a larger story.  The episodes air on FX, which unfortunately is a channel I do not get.  Heck, we don't get anything but Netflix around here.  I'm hoping the episodes will air on their website so that I can watch them all. 

Take a minute (or two) and watch the episode above.  Make sure you let me know what you think.  Is it something that interests you?  Would you watch future episodes?  Why or why not?

Yeah, I know, that's a lot of questions.  But I really am curious about what others think of this show.

Dry Shampoo

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TRESemmé for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

A couple of weeks ago, I let Kasi cut my hair.  I had so many split ends, when I washed my hair the ends just completely frizzed out.  My hair is all one length, so she just needed to trim the dead ends away.  Turns out, she had to cut off several inches because my hair was so damaged.  It was own fault, really, because it's been at least a year since I've had it cut.  Washing and blow drying it every day (and some days more than once) really takes a toll on it.  Most days, I wear my hair in a pony tail, because the van I drive all day has issues with it's air conditioning, so I drive with the windows down, which causes my hair to blow all over the place.  I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to the cooler weather coming so that I can leave my hair down occasionally.

I recently, as in a few minutes ago, learned of a product called TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo.  Basically, you put it on your hair when it is dry instead of washing it, and it helps to keep your hair looking and feeling fresh by absorbing excess oils and odor.  Check out this video of Julia Allison, showing how to use  it.  (make sure you enter to win the $500 Target gift card, too!)

For best results, follow these tips while using it:

- Do shake vigorously before use and in between spray bursts for best results.

- Do lift sections of dry hair and spray lightly at roots

- Do spray in short bursts, holding 8-12 inches from head

- Don’t spray it like hair spray (all over and continuously)

- Do leave in for 1-2 minutes.

- Do use fingertips or a brush to distribute product evenly

- If clogging occurs, remove nozzle and rinse the nozzle under warm water, then reattach.

Let me know if you try this, and what your results were.  I really am curious as to how well it works.